If you’re looking to record music, start a streaming channel at home, or build a top-class gaming set-up, then you’ve likely picked your microphones, monitors, amps, and any other equipment you might need for tracking and soundproofing your home or studio. However, if you’re still struggling to get the right sound, you could have overlooked a crucial aspect – the acoustics.
Every sound will come into contact with a surface, which can either be absorbed or bounced back. The way this moves will change the dynamics and colour of your recording, so it’s just as vital as the gear you’re using. Read on for our guide and list of the best acoustic panels, bass traps and diffusers to buy in the UK from Amazon and Gear4Music. We've got everything from tiles to sheets to patterned white panels for you to create your foam walls.
Quick List - Top Acoustic Foam
Pro-coustix
High-Quality Yet Affordable Foam Tiles With 4.5 cm Thickness From a UK Brand
Pro-coustix
An Attractive Diffuser With a Wooden Surface, Ideal for Recording and Home Cinemas
Universal Acoustics
Bass Trappers Made From Industry-Standard Materials to Reduce Noise by up to 86%
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As the name suggests, bass traps are for the lower bass frequencies. If you’re low on money and looking to build your studio over time, we would recommend to opt for these first.
Here’s why – while they’re commonly associated with the lower frequencies, these are broadband absorbers, meaning they’re effective with mids and highs as well. Therefore, in some instances, bass traps can be enough to get the job done.
They will be especially pertinent in smaller home studios where loud bass will travel between walls easily, making them essential for apartments and attached housing. These are usually placed in the corners and near openings because the bass will build higher in these areas.
Complete your set-up with a new microphone for the studio!
Next in line are acoustic panels. Many people think these are the go-to, but in reality, they work best when supplementing bass traps. This is because they are generally thinner and therefore much less effective when catching lower frequencies.
That said, acoustic panels work on the mids and highs; plus, they tend to offer more wall coverage at a lower price. Therefore, if you have the bass traps covering the most susceptible parts of the room and the panels covering the walls to reduce bounce back, you’ll be onto a winner when reducing noise pollution.
Diffusers are a hot topic in the studio world, especially with home studios. Some producers swear by them, while others don’t use them at all. So, it’s totally up to you and your budget.
Diffusers are different because they allow for sound to reflect. However, they break up this reflection so that you don’t get a clear echo. Some people find that because they don’t deaden the sound, it gives them full and well-rounded tones.
Again, these won’t work well with heavy bass sounds, so you’ll still need some bass traps. You’ll probably still need acoustic panels too. However, once further down the line, experimenting with diffusers can really boost your sound if done right.
After this, you’ll want to consider the thickness of the foam you’re considering. As you’d imagine, companies provide varying lengths, but there’s generally one rule of thumb – bass traps are usually the thickest and can range between 15-60 cm.
In terms of panels and diffusers, these can also vary from 2.5-6 cm. If you're unsure where to start, we'd say the industry standard is around a 5 cm thickness. As you’d suspect, this won’t manage the same frequencies as the bass traps, but you should be handling those separately anyway. The rule of thumb when it comes to effectiveness is the thicker, the better!
Now you can really turn up the amp!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gear4music AcouFoam Bass Traps | ![]() | The Thickest Bass Trap Acoustic Foam Around, Perfect for Any Studio | |
2 | Pro-coustix Ultraflex High Quality Acoustic Foam Tiles | ![]() | High-Quality Yet Affordable Foam Tiles With 4.5 cm Thickness From a UK Brand | |
3 | Pro-coustix Diffuserflex Professional Premium Diffuser Panel | ![]() | An Attractive Diffuser With a Wooden Surface, Ideal for Recording and Home Cinemas | |
4 | Universal Acoustics Mercury Bass Traps | ![]() | Bass Trappers Made From Industry-Standard Materials to Reduce Noise by up to 86% | |
5 | Donner Acoustic Foam Panels Wedges | ![]() | Acoustic Panels in a Classic Wedge-Style Design With 5 cm Thickness | |
6 | BXI Acoustic Sound Diffuser Panel | ![]() | Create a Full, Balanced Sound With These Attractive Diffuser Panels for a Clean-Looking Studio | |
7 | Dekiru Studio Corner Bass Traps | ![]() | Eco-Friendly and Fire-Resistant Bass Traps Built to Fit the Corners of Your Room | |
8 | Gear4music AcouFoam Acoustic Panel | ![]() | A Large Four-Pack of Panels to Cover and Absorb Sound in Large Spaces | |
9 | BXI Acoustic Studio Absorption Foam Panel | ![]() | Panels Featuring the Industry Standard Thickness and a Unique Wedge Design | |
10 | Advanced Acoustics Acousti-Slab Studio Foam | ![]() | A DIY Option for Securing to Purpose-Built Frames or Odd-Shaped Rooms |
If you're here to make one purchase, it should be a bass trap acoustic foam set. So, for that reason, we opted for that style as our number one. However, we chose this particular set simply because of how thick they are. With that much foam to filter through, there's a good chance you'll never annoy the neighbours again.
Granted, these are a bit more expensive than the usual and in a smaller pack size, but they will save you from having to upgrade in the future, as many folks do with their musical gear. They're easy to fit, made from high-quality materials and will clean up your sound. What's not to love?
Built on our very own shores, these Ultraflex High-Quality Foam Tiles are shipped uncompressed, which is particularly handy if you're a little impatient and want to get started right away. However, the standout quality is, of course, that you get an enormous 24 pieces for a relatively low price.
Although you might think that the lower price indicates these aren't as good quality, that isn't the case. Each one comes with 4.5 cm thickness, which is close to optimal. We'd also like to say that we rather like the grey colour used, which is a little more contemporary than the usual black options.
This diffuser has a neat design that places the foam behind a more aesthetically pleasing wooden surface. As well as this walnut finish, there are also cherry and beech options, should you feel they fit your space better. Cleverly, the company use angled edges too, meaning that the piece can fit easily into the corners of a room.
The panels utilise both absorption and diffusion properties, making a beautiful soundscape in the room. These are ideal for recording music, podcasts, or even placing in home cinemas as they won't be too overbearing on the other furniture in the average room.
While these are designed to be concurrently alongside other acoustic foam panels, there's a good chance that this would do a lot of the heavy lifting in a small home studio. They're made from industry-standard materials and have an impressive Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC) of 86%.
Given that they're bass trappers, they have a deep 30 cm thickness and are easily attached to most surfaces using non-solvent-based adhesives. Sure, they're a little pricey, but if you like to turn the bass up loud, then you'll be able to go much higher with these bad boys.
Donner has built up a decent reputation over the last decade or so and have begun to expand into equipment, all of which tend to punch higher than their price point – just like these acoustic panels.
Firstly, you get a rather large 12 pack, so while the price may seem a little costly, you will cover a lot more surface area with these. Donner employs a classic wedge-style design, and the panels come with the optimal 5 cm thickness, which is great for mid to high frequencies.
First off, while we have opted for the classic pyramid design, the company provide two other surface patterns: leaves and triangles. All of them are in white, so you're not going to escape them resembling a tiled kitchen wall, but the other shapes might give you that touch of pizzazz you're looking for.
As we mentioned, buying a diffuser is very much a personal choice, hence why there are fewer in the ranking. This one will work admirably, though, displacing the sound-energy distribution in a room and creating a full, balanced sound. Again, you'll receive a pack of four.
Next, we have another set of bass traps. These are built to fit in the corners of the room where the low frequencies like to reside. One feature we do like is that these are both eco-friendly and fire-resistant, meaning they're better for the world and safer for your studio – that's a win-win in our books.
However, they're a little thin when it comes to bass trappers. This could be alright if you're proofing a live room, which generally only requires between a 25 - 50% reduction. However, if you're using them for a studio that records music such as rock or hip-hop, they might not offer enough absorption.
Created to deal with mid to high frequencies, these panels are excellent at sound absorption. The pyramid design intends to offer a little more surface area, reducing the sound that bit more. We like that these are a little bigger than most other packs too, meaning you have more flexibility when cutting them to fit your room.
On the flip side, the size could be a little bit of a problem if you didn't want to cut them, as you might struggle to fit them in smaller spaces. Plus, they're a little more expensive than other similar options.
The first thing we want to point out is that these panels have a unique wedge pattern. As we know, this isn't going to make any noticeable difference to the sound. That said, it will make a difference to the aesthetics of the studio, which can be cool if you want your place to look a little different from the norm.
Furthermore, it's the industry-standard thickness and comes with a decent number in the pack for the price. It's worth noting that these will arrive compressed, so you'll need to decompress before installation – this generally takes between 24 and 48 hours. Not a deal-breaker, but something to be aware of.
The last piece of acoustic foam we have is slightly different from the rest. Instead of fitting it as one piece – although you could do that – it's more of a DIY option. Many people buy these pieces to fit onto their purpose-built frames, as it gives you the chance to create personalised panels.
Of course, this isn't going to be for everyone as there are elements of DIY involved, so, it will become a bit more of a laborious task. However, if you have a peculiarly shaped room, this could be super handy for reaching spots that you would otherwise be unable to.
Typically coming as panels with a wedged or pyramid-shaped surface, they cut noise pollution by removing or absorbing echoes and background sound. In turn, this clarifies your recordings, keeps your neighbours happy and enhances your sound quality.
Of course, these need to be fitted correctly to work effectively, so you will need to consider the room you’re converting. A great tip is to make sure you cover hard and large surfaces as this will absorb airborne sounds and reduce echoes.
One thing to be aware of safety-wise is that you have to be extremely careful with your equipment. If you were to have an accidental fire, you would see the place light up rather quickly.
In a word, no. According to professionals, manufacturers alternate between the patterns to differentiate themselves from one another. While there may be some myths rattling around the stratosphere that this pattern does this better, or that one can make it sound like that, they are just that – myths.
While some options are fire-resistant, most are flammable, so this is definitely something to be aware of. When burning, acoustic foam can produce a highly toxic smoke which can be very dangerous.
No. 1: Gear4music|AcouFoam Bass Traps
No. 2: Pro-coustix|Ultraflex High Quality Acoustic Foam Tiles
No. 3: Pro-coustix|Diffuserflex Professional Premium Diffuser Panel
No. 4: Universal Acoustics |Mercury Bass Traps
No. 5: Donner|Acoustic Foam Panels Wedges
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